Elite Athletes 2016

Meet a Few of OC’s Future Olympians

We have an embarrassment of riches in Orange County when it comes to stellar young athletes. Over a quarter of the last Summer Games’ Olympians held SoCal ties. The year-round balmy climate and world class trainers and training facilities available certainly don’t hurt, but the goals and dreams these kids are making into reality are due to the incredible passion, discipline and hard work they pour into their daily lives.

By Sascha Zuger
Photography by Ana Brandt

Elisha Cameron

Athlete age: 16

City of Residence: Huntington Beach

Sport: Rowing

Achievements: 10th in Nation 2016

Length of time training: 10 months

Nominated by: James Long-Lerno, Head Program Coach

Trained at: Newport Sea Base Rowing

Advice for those parenting an elite athlete:

“The athlete has to have the passion for the sport, they have to own it. As a parent I need to be a support to my child and be there with encouragement but not try to be a second coach.” — Tammy Cameron, Mother

“What I like about rowing is the team work. It only works when everyone in the boat works together to match their strokes. The comradery is my favorite aspect.” — Elisha Cameron

Ariel Lee & Sydney Lee

Athlete age: 17/15

City of residence: Orange, CA

Sport: Badminton

Achievements: Runner-Up 2016 US Nationals

Length of time training: 12 years

Nominated by: Phillip Chew, Club VP

Training Facility: Orange County Badminton Club

Advice for those parenting an elite athlete:

“Continuously be a supporting figure in their lives, regardless of their results. It exposes them to many different people, which can benefit them later in life when working with others. The rigorous training schedule teaches them discipline. Both the girls were diagnosed with autism at an early age. Badminton has helped them interact with other kids. Competing in the tournaments has encouraged and given them more confidence.” — Bebe Chew, Mother

“My favorite thing about competing at such a high level is the excitement in playing challenging opponents. I recently placed second at the 2016 USAB Adult Nationals, losing to former rank 17 in the world, Beiwen Zheng. As I play these strong players, I gain experiences to become a better badminton player. I aspire to qualify for the 2020 Olympics.” — Ariel Chew

“Competing at a high level gives me an incomparable adrenaline rush. I play opponents who expose me to different playing styles. The high level of competition not only allows me to learn from my mistakes in the sport, but also grow as a person. I enjoy playing with my sister. We were able to get 2nd place in women’s doubles at the USAB Adult Nationals together.” — Sydney Chew

Shawn Kim

Athlete age: 15

City of residence: Irvine

Sport: Fencing

Achievements: Bronze medal at the National Championship, multiple medalist in Super Youth Circuits

Length of time training: almost 6 years

Nominated by: Nick Dinu, Head Coach

Training Facility: Laguna Fencing Center

Best Advice for those Parenting an Elite Athlete:

“Parents just need to parent their kids and leave the coaching to the coaches. Too often you can get swept into wanting to be part of helping them improve, but it is much better to be there and support them as a parent and to let the coach do the training.” — Christy Kim, Mother

“I love the intensity of the sport. Competing at a high level and aspiring to reach the Tokyo Games in 2020 is exciting.” — Shawn Kim

Cameron Bock

Athlete age: 17

City of residence: Tustin

Sport: Gymnastics

Achievements: Bronze Medal in the All Around and Pommel Horse, 2015 Junior International Competition – Yokohama, Japan. Gold Medal on Parallel Bars, 2016 Junior International Cup – Houston, TX. Team Gold Medal, 2016 Calgary International Cup – Calgary, Canada. Nationals. 2-time Junior Olympic All-Around National Champion, several JO National Champion titles for individual events. 5 years on the US Junior National Team

Length of time training: 5+ years competitive at SCATS

Nominated by: Greg Chalikyan, Boys Team Head Coach

Trained at: SCATS Gymnastics

Advice for those parenting an elite athlete:

“Always balance suggestions for improvement with praise for hard work and accomplishments. And love them for who they are, not what they do.” — Nick Bock, Father.

“I love competing because it gives me a chance to really show off all the hard work that I have been putting into my training and my routines. My ultimate goal with gymnastics is to become a World and Olympic champion.” — Cameron Bock

Two Sisters, One Opportunity of a Lifetime

Aria and Makenzie Fischer of Laguna Beach have already accomplished great things in their water polo careers. They have won two championships in high school, led their prospective teams in scoring and won major youth and world tournaments. Those experiences pale in their latest endeavor. They are now about to compete on the biggest stage in the world: the Olympic Games.

Aria Fischer, 17, and Makenzie Fischer, 19, are nervous but eager about this opportunity.

“I am excited to compete and represent the U.S.,” says Aria. “It’s an incredible experience.”

Makenzie, aka “Fish” to teammates, says that she is looking forward to being with other Olympians on this big stage and just what a great experience it is going to be.

Although their father, Erich, was also an Olympian in water polo, he did not push his daughters into playing the sport, but he did play a major role in their journey to this point. He coached both his daughters, Aria for six years and Makenzie for four. He not only taught his daughters the game but how to be “mentally tough”, according to Makenzie.

In terms of coping with stress and the pressure of big moments, they both manage it slightly differently. Both enjoy listening to music before games and hanging out with teammates, but Aria concentrates on the moment, keeping her nerves in check, while Makenzie is usually nervous until she gets in the water. She settles down after that.

When asked about how they are during practices, both sisters said they are competitive going against one another, but both agreed that they would rather play with each other than against one another.

When asked about the opportunity to go to the Olympics and compete as sisters, both shared an understandable excitement.

“Just having the experience is great, but actually getting the opportunity to play with your sister is incredible,” Aria said.

Makenzie echoed her sister’s response and was looking forward to taking this journey with her.

No matter what happens at the Olympics, this is still an amazing story; two sisters, who have accomplished great things individually, now have the opportunity to go for gold together. It is a story that we can all take pride in. Pretty good for two girls under 20.

By Sam Rothschild

Summer Stars of 2012

OC represent! Not only did we send a wealth of Olympic talent to the last Summer Games in London, our athletes brought home some serious bragging rights. Meet a few of the many 2012 medalists with OC ties.

Compiled by Sam Rothschild